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This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- When should I keep my child home from school?
- What should I do if my child will be late or absent from school?
- Which health screenings are required? When do they need to be done?
- Which immunizations are required?
When should I keep my child home from school? Sometimes it can be difficult for a parent to decide whether to send
children to school when they wake up with early symptoms of an illness or
complaints that they do not feel well. In general, during cold and flu
season, unless your child is significantly ill, the best place for them is
in school where they have all already been exposed to the same germs and
where they are less likely to expose other more vulnerable people, like the
very young or very old, to their routine bouts of cold and flu. Remind and
show your children to discard used tissues promptly, not to share personal
items, to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, to keep their hands
away from their face, and to wash hands thoroughly and often with soap and
warm water. Suggest that they silently sing the Happy Birthday song twice
while washing their hands. However, there are some situations in which it
is best to plan on keeping your child home for a day to rest or to arrange
for an appointment with your health care provider. The following are a few
such situations that warrant watching and possibly conferring with your
health care provider:
* Persistent fever greater than 100 degrees orally, including a fever
that requires control with medication, like Tylenol
* Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours.
* Child is too sleepy or ill from an illness to profit from sitting in
class all day
* Significant cough that makes a child feel uncomfortable or disrupts
the class
* Sore throat that is severe, accompanied by fever and/or feeling ill,
that persists longer than 48 hours, OR after known exposure to a
confirmed case of "strep throat"
* Honey-crusted sores around the nose or mouth or rash on other body
parts that might be impetigo: or accompanied with other symptoms
such as a fever
* Red, runny eyes that distract the child from learning
* Large amount of discolored nasal discharge, especially if
accompanied by facial pain or fever
* Severe ear pain or drainage from the ear
* Severe headache, especially if accompanied by fever
* Any condition that you think may be serious or contagious to others.
Whenever there is an outbreak of a "reportable" (to NYS Department of
Health) contagious infection, the school sends out a notice to alert you to
watch out for any symptoms. If your child starts to develop symptoms, it is
important that you alert your own health care provider that your child had
possible exposure. Be sure to ask your provider when it is safe for your
child to return to school, both for your child's health and for the health
of the rest of the school. If you send your child to school even though you
suspect there is significant illness as described above, please call the
school nurse to provide her/him with phone numbers where you can be reached
that day should your child become more ill and require early dismissal.
Finally, if you know your child is still running a fever, it is not a good
idea simply to give them Tylenol and send them onto school because as soon
as the medicine wears off, you are apt to get the dreaded call from the
school nurse to leave work and come to pick up your feverish child. It is
better to let them stay home in bed with a fever and take their medications
at home until they are off all medicines and ready to learn for a full day
in a classroom. If you find a pattern of your child's asking to stay home
from school, especially if they are falling behind or appear anxious by the
thought of attending school, or if there does not appear to be any obvious
physical symptoms, it may be a good idea to contact your child's teacher,
the school nurse and your health care provider to discuss your concerns.
Remember, whenever you keep your child home from school, please call the
school nurse or attendance office in advance of the start of the school day
and leave a message that your child will be absent.
What should I do if my child will be late or absent from school? Attendance records are very important to a school. We need to be aware of
where students are for their safety. In addition, our school aid is
dependent on student attendance. Please call us if your child will be late,
leaving early, or absent from school. A student must have a written excuse
for any time missed from school. Missed time will otherwise be recorded as
an illegal absence.
Which health screenings are required? When do they need to be done? The district's School Health Services program supports your student's
academic success by promoting health in the school setting. One way that we
provide care for your student is by performing the health screenings as
mandated by the State of New York.
During this school year, the following screenings will be required or
completed at school:
Vision
* Distance acuity for all newly entering students and students in
Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10.
* Near vision acuity, hyperopia and color perception screening for all
newly entering students.
Hearing
* Hearing screening for all newly entering students and students in
Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10.
Scoliosis
* Scoliosis (spinal curvature) screening for all students in Grades 5-9
Health Appraisals
* A physical examination including Body Mass Index and Weight Status
Category Information is required for all newly entering students and
students in Kindergarten, Grades 2, 4, 7 and 10.
Dental Certificates
* A dental certificate is requested for all newly entering students
and students in Kindergarten, Grades 2, 4, 7 and 10.
A letter will be sent home if there are any findings on the screening done
at school that would cause concern or need medical follow-up.
Which immunizations are required? New York State Public Health Law, Section 2164 mandates that schools shall
not permit a child to be admitted unless the parent provides the school with
a certificate of immunization or proof from a physician, nurse practitioner
or physician's assistant that the child is in the process of receiving the
required immunizations.
The required immunizations are:
Name of Immunization Number of Doses Required:
� Diphtheria Toxoid (usually administered as DPT, DT, DTaP or TD):
3 doses
� Pertussis and Tetanus (Children born on or after January 1, 2005): 3
doses
� Oral Poliovirus (OPV, IPV or eIPV): 3 doses
� Hepatitis B (K-12 students born on or after 1/1/93) (Preschool
children born on or after 1/1/95): 3 doses
� Measles (the first administered after 12 months of age and the
second after 15 months of age): 2 doses
� Mumps and Rubella (administered after 12 months of age): 1 dose
each
Note: measles, mumps and rubella are usually given in combination as
an �MMR� in 2 doses
� Varicella 1 dose for children born on or after 1/1/1998 or after
1/1/94 and enrolling in 6th Grade; 2 doses are currently recommended
� Pertussis Booster (administered as a Tdap vaccine):1 dose for
children born on or after 1/1/94
and enrolling in 6th Grade
All of the above immunizations must be documented by your health care
provider, health department where the child received the immunizations, or
must be from an official copy of the immunization record from the child's
previous school (a copy of the original immunization record from the
healthcare provider � not a copy of the school health record). All
immunizations must specify that exact date each immunization was
administered. Your child will not be permitted to attend school without the
necessary verification of immunizations.
If your child needs an immunization, contact your primary healthcare
provider or Otsego County Health Department at 547-4230. If your child is
enrolled at HealthZone (our school based Healthcare Provider), he/she may
receive immunizations at school. Please contact the HealthZone at 433-3655.
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